Osteopathy

Wikipedia defines osteopathy as an approach to healthcare that emphasizes the role of the musculoskeletal system in health and disease. This practice was created in the 1800s in the US by a man named, Andrew Taylor Still. He began a school, which is today called A.T. Still University in Missouri.

There are eight key principles in osteopathy:

The body is a unit.

Structure and function are reciprocally inter-related.

The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms.

The body has the inherent capacity to defend and repair itself.

When the normal adaptability is disrupted, or when environmental changes overcome the body’s capacity for self-maintenance, disease may ensue.

The movement of body fluids is essential to the maintenance of health.

The nerves play a crucial part in controlling the fluids of the body.

There are somatic components to disease that are not only manifestations of disease, but also are factors that contribute to maintenance of the disease state.